There is a need for innovation solutions in veterinary medical procedures, enabling faster, safer, more efficient surgeries. Herein we propose a novel, assisting device and method for insertion of feeding tubes during veterinary procedures. The described invention includes a device and methods for feeding tube insertion and placement, which lower risk to the animal, reduce time of procedure, and greatly increase the ease of use for the veterinary medical professional administering the procedure.
Current devices and methods for insertion of feeding tubes in small animal esophagostomy procedures are time-intensive, difficult to maneuver, and run the risk of damaging tissue in the animal. These procedures are necessary in cases when an animal cannot or will not eat in the normal manner. Feeding tube insertion may also be necessary to address medical conditions such as inappetance, occurring due to metabolic disorders (such as hepatic lipodosis), or oral tumors and lesions. These procedures are frequently done in veterinary practices, clinics and hospitals.
There are a few devices in existence that are intended to assist in veterinary feeding tube placement procedures, but they are limited in application and carry with them a range of issues. The current devices are limited in the scope of animals that can be treated. For instance, they may only work in large cats and small dogs, and are only reliably effective in larger cats. An array of other issues is associated with the existing devices, from poor usability to safety. When using one of the existing devices, the required size of incision is relatively large and adjacent to the Jugular vein, thus associated with greater risk to the animal, tissue disruption, and recovery time.
In existing procedures, an incision is made on the neck of the animal; the incision is large enough to allow for the manual insertion of the tube from the outside, followed by the veterinarian pushing it down the throat of the animal into the esophagus.
In these cases, the placement of the device is also risky, requiring extreme precision on the part of the physician, as it is extremely close to the jugular vein of the animal. Another drawback of the current solutions is the inability to work effectively when there is a tumor present in the animal's mouth or throat, which is a fairly common scenario in small animal oncology care.
Using the invention proposed herein, the time required to conduct a typical feeding tube placement procedure in small animals is reduced by at least 80%. The resulting clean-up and recovery is also reduced. The associated risk to the animal is practically eliminated using the tools and methods described herein.